My friend, Josh Griffin, posted this great article a few Christmas seasons ago, but I still refer back to it when this season rolls around. It's all about how to spend your downtime (if you're fortunate enough to unplug!). I'll post a couple of his suggestions here, and you can go [here] for the rest!

"I realize not everyone gets to enjoy the Christmas season at a slower pace – for many youth workers, the Christmas season is a giant snowball that builds and builds, eventually gaining insane speed and crashing into the New Year with a resounding thwack. But for me this year, we’re scaling way back for the holidays. We cancelled the Christmas Extravaganza, small group parties are happening on their own, a special speaker doing the Christmas teaching and the big New Year’s Dance never made it on the final winter calendar. So what to do with all of this new found time, free from the endless barrage of emails, phone calls and events?If your pace does slow down a bit, here are 4 places you may want to spend your Christmas downtime:

Spend time alone
Finish the books you’ve started 2 months ago and are still on chapter 2. Get away from the noise. Turn off your phone and escape for a day. Pray. Meditate, reflect, celebrate. Get a waffle cone and people watch.

Spend time with students
Gather up the core students for a spontaneous night out. That one kid who comes on Sunday morning – ask a regular kid what his name is again then take him out for coffee. Think about that regular kid who needs a big challenge, the newbie who could use a connection and the hurting kid who could use a hug. Go after the people you haven’t had the time for this Fall."

One of the things I've learned over the years as a youth worker is that the relationship that I have with my Senior Pastor can positively or negatively affect everything. I value my friendship and the professional relationship that I have with my pastor, but I talk with youth workers all the time who don't have a good relationship with their senior leader. Since I founded the Youth Worker Coaching Network over two years ago I've coached a number of rookie youth pastors who want to better their relationship with their boss and I sought ways to help them improve their relationship.

Regardless of where your relationship stands with your senior leader, you should take some time to celebrate your Senior Pastor for the work they do. And in the spirit of celebrating Senior Pastors I thought I might offer my help to invest in the relationship between you and your boss too!

Here's what I've done... I have spoken with my friends at Outback Steakhouse and they wanted to celebrate with us, so they've given me 2- $50 gift cards to giveaway here on the blog!

[Go here] to find out how to enter this contest! You are reading the old blog. Subscribe to the new feed by clicking [here].

You may have heard the news that I announced my personal resolution to lose 100lbs by June 2013. I'm now 26 pounds down from my starting weight and I just joined the competition over at YouthPastorDiet.com, a 90-day challenge for youth workers to lose weight!
But it's about to get serious up in here. I just found this video online and it may just be the key to weight loss! Why have I not tried the "Lion" before?

No job is ever secure in ministry. In fact, just two short years ago I found that my position was on the cutting board due to major cutbacks in my local church. Since that time I've tried to lead as best I could from the second chair and serve my team to the best of my ability. The last few years have definitely stretched me and have made me a better leader. But it's called me to question (and also put me on the search to find the answers) for what churches really need as they go through difficult seasons as an organization. When churches are making decisions to hire (or fire) staff, particularly in this economy, I believe they are looking (or should be looking) at qualities beyond a specific gifting or skill set. They must look for indispensable qualities, indicative of a staff member that can thrive in whatever season you are in as a church. So I've come up with a list of 4 indispensable qualities every staff pastor should have. And yes, as a current staff pastor, I also realize I am holding myself accountable to these 4 qualities as a leader... [You are subscribed to the old blog. To read the 4 Indispensable Qualities, click here]You can subscribe to the new blog feed [here]

Affiliates

Blog Disclaimer

This is a personal blog. The opinions expressed here represent my own and not
those of my employer or any other entity I may be affiliated with. Additionally, my thoughts and opinions may change
from time to time. I consider this a consequence of having an open mind. This blog is intended to provide a channel
for me to communicate and opinions represented may offer a snapshot of the various memes running around my brain,
and as such any thoughts and opinions expressed within out-of-date posts may not the same, nor even similar, to
those I may hold today.The best youth ministry content on the web can be found here. We offer the best youth ministry tips, resources, how-tos, videos and more. You can also find small group curriculum too. Terrace Crawford is a nationally recognized, affordable, Christian youth speaker. He is a much-sought-after speaker to teenagers and offers mentoring to youth and to youth workers around the world. You can also find free resources for your youth pastor networks on this site.